Vintage Portland, after looking over this 1965 photo of 82nd Avenue and Ash Street, lamented the fact that on-street parking on 82nd and 28-cent gasoline no longer exist, but from the modern-day street view, we see that not all that much has really changed here: There’s still a used car lot over on the east side of the street, and it appears that the building for the gas station is still there, even if it’s boarded up. What do you see here?

34 Responses to “Portland, Oregon, 1965”

Ah…a `60 Falcon for Art! (Merry XMas buddy! ) The `57 Lincoln sure stands out amongst the others on this street. I see two on the used-car lot Id lkike to have: either the `59 Olds, or the `61 Chrysler a little further down the row. The `63 Galaxie driving away appears to be a lower trim level, but not quite a Custom 300.

Hi Guys, I parked my Falcon right there just to scratch my head and gaze at the 28.9 cent gas. DAMN, it was 26.9 just last week. I guess it won’t be long before it’s over 50 cents a gallon !!!!! I’ll need to take a second job just to fill my tank ;o}

Looks like a Chrysler Dealership behind Art’s Falcon. I see a 59 Oldsmobile with 64 Dodge & Plymouth on either side. A couple of 62 Chryslers a Newport and New Yorker, another 64 Plylmouth, a 1960 Ford parked along the curb behind.
1957 Lincolns have been showing up a lot recently.

I can see enough of the license plate on the Plymouth wagon to tell that it’s an exempt plate. The car also has a roof antenna for a two-way radio, and tools in the back. City government would be my guess.

It looks to me like Art had to park his Falcon and check out some of those finned Chrysler products….

According to the government’s handy-dandy inflation calculator, $.289/gallon in 1965 is the approximate equivalent of $2.15 today. Cheaper than today’s pump price, but perhaps not as cheap as it first appears.

Its funny how people never seem to remember the effects of inflation over the years. They see a price for something in an old photo and ooh and aah over it forgetting how much the value of money has changed over time.

Yeah, I noticed that 28.9 gas price and got misty-eyed..sniff!..In 1971 I worked as a pump jockey in a deep discount gas station in New Castle Pa. call “Highway Oil” Two pumps, four gas nozzles, regular and high-test, and one guy..me, Busier than a one armed paper hanger! The pumps only went to 99.9 at the time. In early ’72 the company had guys come by and change out the pumps so they could record 3 digits and 9/10. When I asked why? They said “gas is going to over $1.00 a gallon!” I that was the biggest bunch of b.s. I had ever heard! As gas was about 32.9 or there about at the time. So it seems that the powers that be even knew way back then that change was coming. Yeah, I know it was proportionality balanced at the time as a good union factory job at the time in my town paid about $3.25 an hour. So gas cost about 10% of your hourly wage. Not that way now is it?

Looking at the modern view( still creeps me out, able to rotate) the houses on the end must have been removed for widening of the street, as the corner house is gone,replaced by a billboard and a motor home dealer.

It looks like the lights for the car lot are the same ones. The cars pictured bring good memories, my dad had a 60 Ford like the one here, and after that a mid 60′s Fury. I wonder if this is actually 1964, since I don’t see anything newer than that.

I bet those are used cars, I do not they would have the 59 Olds in with the new car inventory. The smaller full-size Dodges and Plymouths of 1962-64 were not great sellers and maybe hold overs that could be had for quite a bargain.

When I lived in Portland a few years ago, I tried never to go east of 81st, because the stuff beyond there reminded me too much of the abandoned parts of the city I grew up in. It wasn’t hard to avoid, though, as it was pretty much abandoned.

The license plates are the yellow on blue “Pacific Wonderland” plates – the iconic Oregon plate for a long time. For a number of years they were banned by the DMV, but today you can get them again – for a fee, of course.